KYIV: Ukraine’s ex-defence minister and current secretary of the security council Rustem Umerov will head Kyiv’s delegation at the next round of peace talks with Russia on Wednesday (Jul 23), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
The Kremlin earlier had downplayed expectations for the talks by saying the two sides were far apart in their visions on how to end the more than three-year war.
“The delegation will be headed by Rustem Umerov and will include representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, Ukraine’s foreign ministry, and the office of the president,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
Moscow has not yet announced the composition of its team for the talks.
Its delegation at the previous round was led by a hawkish historian and the current head of the Russian Union of Writers Vladimir Medinsky, whom Ukraine described as not a real decision-maker.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to “secure the release of our people from captivity and return of abducted children, to stop the killings, and to prepare a leaders’ meeting”, outlining potential topics for discussion on Wednesday.
